MOBILE, Ala. — The NFL Scouting Combine later this month is the biggest show in the league’s pre-draft process.
It’d be impossible to find a more compact, nutrient-dense scouting environment, however, than the three days of practice here leading up to the Senior Bowl.
More than 120 players. In pads and working through combinations of individual, skeleton and team drills and moving and hitting — though mostly not tackling.
For the first time this year, juniors were allowed to attend. That led Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy to invite a bunch and end up with several talented ones.
“Most of the juniors we took — I think that number ended up being 16 or 17 — we see most of those guys as fourth-round or higher players, mostly Day 2 players and some Day 1 players,” Nagy said Tuesday.
Indeed, NFL scouts and executives spoke glowingly through the week about the depth and quality of talent on the field, particularly on the offensive line and in the secondary.
Several players here could end up in consideration for the Broncos at No. 12, like dominant tackle Taliese Fuaga (and at least a couple of others like Tyler Guyton, Patrick Paul and Jordan Morgan) or cornerback Quinyon Mitchell or quarterbacks Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr.
Here are five other favorites from the week, with an eye toward the Broncos’ roster and positional needs.
Edge Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Up there with the most fun players at the Senior Bowl. Latu has a seemingly endless array of pass-rush moves and a personality to match. Not only that, but he’s got an incredible injury story that includes medically retiring at Washington due to a neck issue. Then he returned to play the past two seasons and dominated. The Broncos have a nice collection of solid outside linebackers, but they don’t have a game-tilting, top-of-the-scouting-report type of guy at that position. Latu has a chance to grow into that type of player as long as the health component checks out, but it would likely require grabbing him at No. 12.
Here is every one-on-one rep by #UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu on Day 2 of the Senior Bowl. pic.twitter.com/NwwEAkGUhq
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 31, 2024
DL Michael Hall, Ohio State
It was an interesting set of defensive linemen to watch go to work, and they gave a deep set of offensive linemen trouble in team settings all week. Hall is 6-2 and 280, not the biggest among the group, but he’s got explosiveness and proved to be a handful for the interior offensive guys. Broncos fans will watch him and see shades of Dre’Mont Jones, a fellow Buckeye with similar measurements and a similar profile at this stage. The other thing about Hall: In a draft stocked with older, more experienced players, he spent three years at Ohio State playing in rotations and will have just turned 21 when training camp starts.
WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida
The 6-1, 190-pounder just kind of does everything well. He probably won’t be the biggest or the fastest, but he runs really good routes, separates at the top and consistently gets open. Pearsall’s been productive in college — 2021 at Arizona State and the past two at Florida — and will be one of many quality options available on Day 2 or maybe early into Day 3 come April. The Broncos have all kinds of questions in their receiver room including whether any, all or some combination of Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick will be back in 2024.
RB Ray Davis, Kentucky
The 2024 draft class isn’t considered a deep one at running back, but Davis and USC’s MarShawn Lloyd put together really strong weeks in Mobile. Davis has big play ability and catches the ball naturally. He put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons (2022 at Vanderbilt) and scored 21 touchdowns (14 rushing, seven receiving) during his lone season at UK in 2023. Running back tends to be a know-it-when-you-see-it position, and Davis looks like a guy who will be able to do multiple things well at the next level. The Broncos have question marks at the position, and Davis (or Lloyd) is the type of players who could handle every-down work or chip in more as a role player early on.
OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
You may not find a single person at the Senior Bowl who wasn’t impressed by JPJ’s work. He’s built like a fire hydrant and dominated for two days before calling his week good. Broncos general manager George Paton saw the Ducks play live this year and Denver’s seen a bunch of Powers-Johnson as they evaluate quarterbacks, too. Not only that, but Powers-Johnson at UO took over at center for Alex Forsyth, whom the Broncos drafted in the seventh round last year. That won’t be happening with this guy. It’d be a shock if he lasted until Denver’s second pick in the mid-70s at this point.
THIS is what makes Mobile so unique. Good on good. Best bump possible.
Jackson Powers-Johnson & Michael Hall pic.twitter.com/JWtHwMAx9r
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 31, 2024
A couple of bonus names on smaller guys who impressed to close this thing out: Arizona WR Jacob Cowing (before he got hurt Thursday), Tulane WR Jha’Quan Jackson and Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
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